Feeling nostalgic, I brought out my Lionel Norfolk & Western Warhorse J coal train set. It's only the second train I ever got. I woke up on my 5th birthday to find it at my bedside. Love you dad.
Anyway, I was putzing around with it. Thought I'd share a couple of tips and observations in case you own this loco or one like it.
First thing I noticed was the fabric cover for the tender cable was completely frayed at the end. Looking at auctions for this set, it seems this is common. There was a little worn out piece of rubber still on the wires, so I'm assuming this is what the fabric came undone from. Cutting it off and adding a new piece of heat-shrink tubing restores it to new-looking condition. I think that's actually what the factory used in the first place:
Then there was an issue with the sounds. Intermittent chuffing, non-responsive whistle and bell, random activation of braking sound effects, a mess. While searching for a new replacement board, I came across this awesome PDF document from Lionel.
http://www.lionel.com/ForTheHo...oreTMCCfunctions.pdf
After following their instructions, the sounds are working flawlessly. If you have a Lionel engine that's acting up, DEFINITELY give this a try.
Finally, I was a little miffed that the smoke was anemic under a normal load, even after adding fluid. So I made it just a tiny bit heavier.
That's with Magnetraction only, mind you. And by the time I shot that video, the smoke was getting light because it only took a few laps to drain the entire reservoir 
This is really a great set, and also neat in that it was a launch set for TMCC. What I find most interesting about it is how Lionel dressed toy-style Postwar designs in very prototypical schemes. I think it's a winning combination, but from what I've heard it was a bit of a flop back in 1996. Oh well, I still love it 
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